CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A former Chicago police superintendent and several alderpersons came together at City Hall to publicly voice their support for the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system on Tuesday, one day before a key city council vote.
"This is all about public safety," said Eddie Johnson, who was appointed by ex-Mayor Rahm Emmanuel to serve as the Chicago police superintendent in 2016.
Johnson held the post of superintendent for more than three years, and he pointed to his decades of experience as a cop in Chicago as he vouched for ShotSpotter — the use of which Mayor Brandon Johnson has vowed to end.
"I've seen a lot of things that work [and] a lot of things that don't work," Johnson said. "I can tell you, unequivocally, that ShotSpotter does enhance the police department's ability to respond to these violent calls in our neighborhood."
Alders at Tuesday's press conference held up a graphic showing that ShotSpotter detected 174 incidents and 761 rounds across the city in one day alone, this past Sunday.
Back in February, though, researchers with Northwestern University found that close to 90% of ShotSpotter alerts did not help police find evidence of gunfire.
Alexa Van Brunt, one of the Northwestern researchers, told WBBM in February that the ShotSpotter technology has been discriminatory due to its deployment in communities of color.
Asked what the opposition to ShotSpotter was, South Side Ald. David Moore (17th) said it boiled down to "a political promise."
Johnson fulfilled a campaign promise earlier this year when he announced that he will not extend the police contract with ShotSpotter, which is now set to expire in the fall.
Also in attendance: West Side Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th), who asked his colleagues to get behind the technology.
"It simply saves lives," he said.
Moore said Johnson doesn't have the authority to terminate the deal. Moore's ordinance, which is scheduled for a City Council vote on Wednesday, stipulates the Council must approve any decision regarding Shotspotter.
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